Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

3-6', 6-12'

 

Flower Color

Red

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Brown

 

Fruit Color

Green, Yellow

 

Fruit Season

Fall

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Moist, Dry

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Thorns/Spines

Design Styles

English Cottage, Japanese, Mediterranean

 

Accenting Features

Espalier, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Hedge

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Flowering quince is a dense, broad-rounded, deciduous shrub with often-tangled, spiny, gray-brown twigs. It typically grows to 6 to 10 feet tall and as wide. Scarlet to red (less frequently pink or white) five-petaled flowers bloom before the leaves fully unfold in early spring. Flowers are followed by hard, dot-speckled, yellowish-green fruits (2 to 3 inches across) that may acquire red tinges as they mature in autumn. Quinces are edible, but usually are considered too bitter to be eaten directly from the shrub, but are used in preserves and jellies. It has finely-toothed, oval to oblong, glossy dark green leaves, which emerge i nthe spring with a bronzy cast, but have no fall color.

Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best flowering occurs in full sun. Adapts to a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers well-drained loams. Established plants will tolerate dryish soils, though prolonged drought will affect fruit quality. Plants bloom on old growth, so avoid heavy pruning. Prune selectively as needed in spring after flowering to control size and stimulate growth of flowering spurs which will improve bloom for the following year (although such pruning will reduce fruit production for the current year). Promptly remove root suckers to control possible spread.